Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[HorsesHorses]

Hello all

Sorry for treating you like medical information experts but sometimes my gps (whichever one I happen to get to see!) seem to confuse me more or make me worry more.
I've been experiencing head pains(not headaches) for the last 6 months now and still waiting on an mri result of my neck to see if it's something there causing it. Weirdly though the head pains started the same time my latest batch of periods stopped and the meno symptoms came back again so I wonder if it's more to do with that. The gp asked for advice from gynae because all 3 of my fsh readings have been high. Now this is where I get confused. The gynae came back saying they are too high for menopause! (They have been up in the 90s) and therefore pointing more towards premature ovarian failure. Well, isn't that just early menopause? (I'm 37). And gynae suggested rechecking fsh then trying to kick start my periods with a course of contraceptive pill. But surely it's best to let me just carry on with coping with meno now seeing as this has been going on for 3 years on and off now. Oh, have also had internal scan of womb as gp thought it was weird I'd missed 5 periods but all looks ok except they couldn't actually see my ovaries due to bowel gas...nice! But they said there were no cysts or anything yucky.
The other gps over the years have been happy to accept it was early meno and now this gp seems to want to check with the gynae which is great but I'm getting very confused.
Has this happened to anyone else?
Thanks
HH

[Hurdity]

Hi HorsesHorses

From what  I've read it is exactly the same thing ie menopause before the age of 40 is premature ovarian failure/insufficiency. Ovaries pack up at menopause but the average age is 51/52 so they have packed up prematurely if periods stop below age 40.

Here's what it says on this site:

http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/pm-definition.php

Premature menopause, or premature ovarian failure, is frequently defined as being menopause that occurs before the age of 40 years, but in the developed world, it is thought that it should be defined as menopause before the age of 45 years, the loss of estrogen having particular long term health risks in this age group.

Premature ovarian failure (POF) is estimated to affect 1% of women under the age of 40 years and 0.1% of women under the age of 30 years.

Also - yesterday another member was discussing what to do about testing for menopause - and also under 40 but not yet at the stage you are of missing periods and I posted stuff out about the protocols, NICE Guidelines and information on this site - here is the thread: http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,31127.0.html

Here are the investigations ie testing for it:
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/pm-investigations.php

I don't understand how doc can say FSH too high for menopause/POF - the ref ranges for FSH are given here:
http://www.gpnotebook.co.uk/simplepage.cfm?ID=436600899

1-11 females; follicular and luteal phase
6-26 at ovulation
30-118 post-menopausal

Note in bold where it says:

In women aged under 40 years in whom menopause is suspected

    diagnose premature ovarian insufficiency in women aged under 40 years based on:
        menopausal symptoms, including no or infrequent periods (taking into account whether the woman has a uterus) and
        elevated FSH levels on 2 blood samples taken 4-6 weeks apart

I think it will be your decision how you want to treat it - either with conventional HRT or the Pill but thereis a pill available that contains bio-identical oestrogen - called Qlaira which you might prefer to the more conventional ones that contain synthetic oestrogen. here is some info on this site about the Pill and menopause:
http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/contra2.php

Hope this helps

Hurdity x

[HorsesHorses]

Thanks Hurdity, so much helpful info and I've read it all and agree with you that it's basically the same condition then, just with a different set of tests to diagnose it and a different name depending on whether the woman is under or over 40. I'm not quite so confused now. What I guess I'd like the gp/specialist to tell me is what I should be doing about it if anything. Hopefully after this next lot of fsh tests I'll get a gynae referral and finally get some specialist help. Thank you also for the info on Qlaira. I'll bear that in mind when I get to treatment stage.